Railroad-car.



PATENTED DBO. 12, 1905.

C. H. HOWARD. RAILROAD CAR.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 2z, 1005.

57 Mmm/ma 444' Wfl IIIIIIII ...lflhlllilllllxle z E I I I l l I l I l l I l I I I fTJmSs/ UNITED STATES CLARENCE H. HOWARD, or 1ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILROAD-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905. j

Application filed May 22,1905. Serial No. 261,627.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE H. HOWARD, a

' -citizen of the United States, residi-ng vat St.

Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad- Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the underframe and platforms of a railroad-car having the middle and Side sills of metal and wood, respectively,

-and has for its object to provide a practically single continuous bufng and draft member for the entire lengthof the car, whereby in the event of collision endwise of the car-platforms the resulting compression strains are transmitted by the buffer-beams through the platforms principally to and along the middle longitudinal metallic sills and body-holsters, and thence distributed more or less uniformly through the entire frame.

The invention consists in features of novelty, as hereinafter described and claimed,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, whereon- Figure 1 is a top plan viewof my improved car-underframe broken away, showing the platform at one end thereof with the adjacent body-bolster and needle-beams; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof, to enlarged scale, omitting the needle-beams; Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal section of the same on line 3 3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section through the frame on line 4 4 in Fig. 1, showing the body-bolster in side elevation; Fig.5, a similar view to Fig. 4, showing a modified form of the bolster; and Fig. 6, a vertical transverse section through the frame on line 6 6 in Fig. 1, showing one of the needle-beams forming part of my invention in side elevation.

Like letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

My improved underframe comprises, essentially, two middle longitudinal metallic sills a, which are composed, preferably, of commercial-shaped soft steel, but may be of cast-steel, if desired, and either I-shaped in cross-section, asshown, or channel, L, H, Z, box, or otherwise shaped, as found most Suitable.

The ends of the sills a preferably butt against and are fixed by angles 1 or otherwise, respectively, to the inner end 2 of a preferably cast-steel platform I), which is suitably shaped and arranged in the same plane or thereabout to the sills fr, the platform I) having a bufferbeam or end sill 3 integral therewith or attached thereto at its outer edges. From the inner end 2 of the platformb and preferably integral and inthe same plane therewith project two (or more) arms 4, which preferably converge from their junction with the platform I) to the outer sides of the sills a at a suitable distance from the platform o, and thence extend along and bear against the sills a, to whichl they are respectively fixed by rivets 5, the ends of the arms 4 preferably butting against the adjacent side beam 6 of the double bodybolster c, to which they are fixed by rivets 7.

The body-bolster o is preferably composed of cast-steel, having integral side bearings 8, the side beams 6 being adapted to straddle the middle sills a, to which they are fixed at the top by rivets 9 (or bolts) and to bear at the top against the under sides ofy the outer and intermediate wood floor-sills 10 10', respectively, to which they are fixed by bolts, (not shown,) which pass through the holes 11. The body-bolster c in the present case is preferably provided with a separable cross-beam 12, having the body center plate 13 on its under side and adapted to bear at the ends against the under sides of the side beams 6, to which it is xed by bolts 14, the body-bolster c being similar in construction to that for which I have filed application for Letters Patent,-

dated May 1, 1905, Serial No. 258,286, for an improvement in car-holsters, whereby in case of damage to the platform Z) or its combined parts the sills a can be lowered from the carbody and replaced without disturbing the side beams 6 of the body-bolster c or, if desired, the side beams and cross-beams having the body center plate may be integral throughout and the side beams 6 formed with transverse openings 15, which surround the sills a, as shown in Fig. 5.

The p'ocket d for the draft-rigging spans and is attached to the sills a on their under Side by rivets 16, whereby the tension strain of the draw-bar e is communicated directly to the sills a.

Each needle-beam f, which is composed of cast-steel, I-shaped or otherwise in cross-section, bears at the top against the under side of the woodoor-sills 10 10' and is fixed thereto by bolts, (not shown,) which pass through the holes 17 therefor. (Indicated by IOO IOS

IIO

member 19, which spans the said opening longitudinally to the beam f and bears against the bottom of the middle sills a transversely thereto, the end portions of the plate or member 19 having projections 20, which engage in corresponding recesses 20', formed in the under side of the beam f adjacent to tbe sides of the pocket 18, and thereby locks and prevents the sides of the pocket 18 from spreadb ing under the tension strain of the plate 19, which is fixed to the beam f thereat by bolts 21, whereby on disconnecting the latter and removing the plate 19 the middle sills a can be lowered and removed without disturbing the body of the needle-beam f and truss-rods.

To the under side of each needle-beam f at its ends are ixed the u sual truss-blocks or queen-posts 22 (broken away) for the trussrods. (Not shown.)

'By the above construction of underframe, in which the middle sills, platforms, and body-bolsters are firmly xed to each other in alinement throughout, combined with strong, light, and easily-removable needle-beams, a rigid underframe havinga main central member adapted to initially resist and distribute abnormal compression strains is obtained, which reduces the danger of telescoping in case of collision to a minimum.

What I claim as my invention,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an underframe for a railroad-car, the

lthe said arms butting against and xed to the body-bolster, all the said parts being metallic and alined to each other in the same plane, or tbereabout, and means for Jfixing the body bolster to the wood floor-sills of the frame, substantially as described.

2. In an underframe of the character de-A scribed, the combination with the middle longitudinal metallic sills and wood floor-sills, of a needle-beam adapted to bear against the A under sideof the said floor-sills and having a recessed portion adapted to straddle the said middle sills, a tension member spanning the said portion and bearing against the under side of the middle sills, a projection on the said member adjacent to each side of the said pocket and adapted to engage in a recess in the said beam, and means for removably fixing the said member to the beam, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ivhave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE H. HOWARD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR T. MoREY,. EDWARD W. FURRELL. 

